The NBA responded to a letter from two US senators, signed by Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and addressed to league commissioner Adam Silver, regarding its business relationship with Rwanda.
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the league is following the lead of the US government
In a letter written to Blackburn and Merkley, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum explained how the department has promoted many programs that affect the community in the country.
The US senators have accused the NBA of “making profit over purpose” by working with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame. Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN, Tatum also defended the division, adding that it follows “the lead of the US government where it is appropriate to engage with business around the world.”
“If U.S. policies were to change regarding business and related activities in Rwanda or any other BAL market, our actions would change accordingly,” Tatum said in the letter.
The NBA's Basketball Africa League is closely aligned with Kagame and the Rwandan government. Kagame's administration is accused of widespread human rights abuses.
In the letter, Tatum wrote that the NBA “raises awareness of gender-based violence,” according to Fainaru-Wada. The league supports girls' education and encourages participation in basketball at all levels.
Rwanda has won the Basketball Africa League
In addition, Tatum said the presence of this unit in Africa has helped generate job opportunities and economic opportunities. Although the NBA has helped Rwanda economically, the league has also been selective in dealing with human rights violations.
The US senators' letter explained how the NBA “has long positioned itself as a beacon of social justice.” However, it has continued to “build relationships with rulers and rulers,” such as Kagame.
Blackburn and Merkley also added, “Anyone who dares to question Kagame's rule – whether it's an opposition candidate or a free press – has been arrested, disappeared or brutally killed.”
The US State Department has repeatedly issued numerous reports that Kagame's government is guilty of human rights violations. Rights violations include the arrest, torture, and killing of political opponents. The administration also funded child soldiers in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Every market has different challenges, and we are always mindful of that diversity in the more than 200 countries and territories in which we operate,” Tatum wrote in his response to Blackburn and Merkley.
Each violation has been reported in annual human rights reports since 2000, Kagame's first year as president.
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